With multiple humanoid robots competing to secure their place in a crowded field, 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for the marching metallic mechanisms made in our image.
This past year, Boston Dynamics unveiled its new all-electric Atlas robot, while retiring the company’s iconic hydraulic Atlas (now called HD Atlas) that’s been internet-famous for years.
The new Atlas is capable of moving in what I would call superhuman ways, a trait also shared shared with the Unitree G1: a smaller humanoid starting at $16,000.
While Atlas can turn its head, torso and limbs in ways that are impossible for most people, the G1 can fold up to less than 3 feet in length, presumably for storage and shipping.
We’re also seeing companies including Figure, Agility Robotics and 1X forging new partnerships with companies like Nvidia and OpenAI, using their hardware and software to help get the robots talking and performing various tasks faster than if they had to start from scratch.
Tesla, notably, has chosen its own path, utilizing the data, hardware and software it was developing for the driver’s assistance in its cars and repackaging it in a new form factor with its Optimus robots.
In 2025, I’m expecting more industry partnerships, more feats of superhuman ability and more real-world testing as companies seek to distinguish themselves from the competition.
To see some of these robots in action check out the video in this article.
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